At New Life, Margate, during the school holidays, the children stay in for the whole service. (During term time they leave for their own groups just before the preaching time) We make sure the preaching is a bit shorter than usual and that it is 'child friendly'. George, one of our Pastoral Team has a real gift for that. This last Sunday he had his young son Daniel, dressed like a Professor complete with dark suit and black rimmed glasses, come up to be quizzed on Bible characters etc. It was centered around Noah and the Ark, which had one door etc. The message was based on the Open Door of the Gospel. So, my Bulletin Back Page contribution this weeks takes that onto account.
WASN’T
THAT THE GUY WHO……?
Last week we had the special privilege of a
visit from the great Scottish Bible teacher Dr. Mc’Wiseman! Congratulations to Daniel for doing a great
job of impersonation, and to George for keeping us on the edge of our seats! Did you notice that while nearly all of us knew
about Moses, very few knew about Absalom!
He was the young man who died because his hair was too long!
The story of how and why he met his death
is in 2 Samuel 18. It is one of the Bible stories that we all should know. As with the whole Bible “these things are
written that we may believe …”
It really is important to know the Bible. Not
only to read it, but to have it in our hearts. It is, after all, “the Sword of
the Spirit” (Ephesians 6.17)
- IT IS THE WORD OF GOD. Yes it is! 2 Timothy 3:16 ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God.’ If we want to know God and his will for our lives, then we need to know his Word. Just as we feed on ordinary food to keep our bodies in good condition, we also need to feed on God’s Word to keep our spiritual life in good condition. “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”.
- IT TEACHES US HOW GOD DEALS WITH PEOPLE. Yes it does! The truth of how and why the world and its inhabitants were created. How the God who created the Universe can be our Father as well as our Creator. The background to international current events, particularly concerning the Jewish nation, is all in the Bible. Places that are making world Headlines; Syria, Damascus, Egypt and many others, are all right there in the Bible.
- READING IT FEEDS OUR FAITH. That’s for
sure! The true stories of people
like David, Samuel, Moses, Elijah and Elisha, as well as Nehemiah, Job and
Jonah, all teach us how we can trust God.
The eye witness records of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John introduce
us to Jesus Christ the Son of God.
His coming to earth as a baby, his ministry, his miracles; all so
that “we may believe”. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles (should have
been titled the Acts of the Holy Spirit!) records how and why the church
came into being. The Letters to the
churches are full of teaching that applies to us, today.So! GET STUCK INTO IT. Whatever format you have it in, e-copy or hard copy; READ IT. LEARN IT. TALK ABOUT IT. TEACH IT TO YOUR CHILDREN. Be blessed as you read and get to know the Bible.
